Bearing up to product development with Proto Labs

For the past 43 years, Knaresborough-based BNL (UK) Ltd has specialised in the design and manufacture of plastic bearings. Project Engineer Ewan Burnett explains, "Around two years ago we were approached by a big player in the CCTV market who wanted us to come up with the next generation of an established camera design. The design had been successful for the previous 15 years, but was due for an update. Our customer wanted something new, with an improved, internal PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) mechanism. "We were close to capacity so it made good business sense to find an external supplier," says Mr Burnett. "We found Proto Labs via an internet search and decided to evaluate their facility at Telford, discovering that their speed of response was very impressive." One of the downsides to moulded bearings is the potentially lengthy lead-time demanded by the ultra-precise hard tooling. "As a consequence we decided to take the aluminium tool route as this would still allow us to perform full, functional testing on actual moulded parts," says Mr Burnett. "Furthermore, because of the speed of the Protomold service we would also be able to develop hard tools in parallel. Any issues arising from testing could quickly be fed into the hard tooling process. This concurrent engineering strategy was invaluable in expediting a final solution for our customer." "We have found Proto Labs to be extremely responsive, and since the start of this project in 2011 we've developed an amazing relationship together," concludes Mr Burnett. "In fact, in 2012/2013 we entered dozens of different parts into their online automated quotation system – these are now at various stages of development. Furthermore, our entire design team are also now exploring the benefits of using Proto Labs. Overall, the advantages offered by Firstcut and Protomold have effectively changed the business model at BNL."